The Education Ministry figures showed the decline affected both domestic and international student enrolments. Photo: RNZ
As polytechnics prepare to manage their own affairs again, enrolment figures show some finished last year with half the number of students they had 10 years ago.
They included Unitec in Auckland, Northland Polytechnic, Weltec and Whitireia in Wellington and Porirua, and Tai Poutini on the West Coast of the South Island.
The Education Ministry figures showed the decline affected both domestic and international student enrolments.
Unitec in Auckland had 4885 equivalent-full-time students (EFTS) last year, down from 9590 in 2015.
Wellington Institute of Technology had 1845 EFTS last year, down from 3945 in 2015 and its partner institution Whitireia had 1835 EFTS, down from 4010.
Northland Polytechnic had 1475 EFTS, down from 3560 and Tai Poutini on the South Island's West Coast had just 275 EFTS, down from 2090 in 2015.
Other institutes also had a lot fewer students than in 2010.
Manukau Institute of Technology fell from 7065 EFTS to 4645 last year, Ucol in the lower North Island dropped from 3280 to 2365, and Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology from 3000 to 1970.
Toi Ohomai had 3685 EFTS, down from 5835 when it was created from the Bay of Plenty and Rotorua polytechnics in 2016.
Southern Institute of Technology had dropped from 4715 to 3695, Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki from 1650 to 1235, and Waikato Institute of Technology from 4925 to 3950.
The figures showed only four institutes had more full-time students.
Eastern Institute of Technology experienced a surge in international enrolments in the previous two years which combined with domestic students took it to 4685 EFTS last year, 500 more than it had in 2015.
The Open Polytechnic had 8510 EFTS, well above its 2015 total of 5765, while Otago Polytechnic and Ara in Canterbury had slightly more EFTS last year than in 2015.
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